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>>>>> UP IN THIS AUCTION <<<<<
Antique William Buffalo Bill Cody Collection 8 Items Signed 1879 Book Photos
2 Never Seen Photos Personal Grooming Kit 1st Ed Book
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- DESCRIPTION -
Please be patient there are 140 photos to be loaded in this auction.
Up in this auction is a grouping of eight items (all going together in one lot) that belonged to William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody and were given to his family members on his mother's side, from the West Chester, Pennsylvania area. His mother was born, Mary Ann Laycock, her father and mother were, Samuel Laycock and Hannah Taylor, Buffalo Bill's Grandfather and Grandmother on his mother's side. These items were given to and handed down through his Grandmother Hannah's family, the Taylors, which became in part the Johnson family.
Included in the collection is, two dedicated and signed cabinet card photos of Buffalo Bill Cody. A first edition of his very first book in 1879, dedicated and signed by him. Two never before seen photos of him, one, an ambrotype of him at 4 years of age and the second, a rare style of photo, a Crystoleum Plate, of him circa mid 1870's. An envelope of crumbled leaves from Buffalo Bill's grave on lookout mountain, pencil inscribed and dated on a Norristown, PA bank envelope. Buffalo Bill's "Traveling" Meerschaum pipe with a small dog on it in its original case. And finally his personal grooming kit, including his straight edge razors and his mustache comb.
William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody the hero and American legend was a pony express rider, soldier, scout, bison hunter and showman. He was wildly popular in his day and was the first true international celebrity, arguably the first superstar of the modern world. The media loved him and he always seemed to be in the right spot at the right time and by the end of the nineteenth century arguably the most photographed person in the world. That said, although Buffalo Bill was famous for, and made a fortune representing the disappearing American frontier with his Wild West Show, he was noted to be continuously forward looking and as a consequence notoriously unsentimental about his personal possessions. We are offering a group of items that we believe to have been owned by Buffalo Bill personally, and subsequently given to family members on his mother's side near West Chester, Pennsylvania. Any single one of these items is a stand alone object of merit, but together and offered as a whole (as they have always been kept) the collection is significant for the sum of its parts, and for what it represents.
Timeline of his life, as it relates to the items we are offering for sale:
Mother Mary Ann Laycock Cody born in 1827 near Philadelphia; Mary went to Cincinnati to teach school where she met & married Isaac Cody, Buffalo Bill's father.
William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody - Born February 26, 1846 near Le Claire Iowa: The cased image (ambrotype photo) we have is circa 1850 and is of a young boy approximately 4 years of age. There exists a photo image of Buffalo Bill at 11 years of age and the resemblance is uncannily similar. We know that Buffalo Bill first visited his mother's relatives, the Guss family near West Chester, PA in 1872 (uncle, cousins and grandmother) and that 2 years later as Buffalo Bill prepared for his stage career, the Cody family lived there for several months, before moving on to Rochester New York. Who better than an elderly grandmother to have had this image of a beloved grandson? Subsequently passing it on to cousins and other relatives to keep and cherish this memento of their famous Uncle.
Buffalo Bill visited the East in 1872 and went to Philadelphia as a guest of General Philip Sheridan where he visited the Guss family, (General Henry R. Guss, his uncle) relatives on his mother's side whom he had never met (uncle, cousins and grandmother). Two years later Buffalo Bill's family lived there for a few months as he prepared for his stage career. In 1894, after the wildly successful Chicago World's Fair, Buffalo Bill needed a large farm to allow the Wild West Show livestock & horses to forage, somewhere close to New York, the Trego Farm in Chester County fit the bill nicely. (Another strong tie to West Chester).
Items included in the auction with condition report:
Note: All items are in shabby chic condition with 100 years of handling from a family who revered their uncle and through the years have seen damage.
First - Very rare (unknown) convex glass Crystoleum Plate photograph portrait (we believe to be circa 1875); unframed, old glued cracks across the glass.
Second - Autographed Stacy cabinet card photo COL. W.F. CODY "BUFFALO BILL" inscribed: "To Sallie Taylor Johnson / WF Cod.."; Cody is dressed in an embroidered rawhide jacket; although the image is intact all four corners are -missing (most on top left) along with last portion of signature. NOTE: Sallie Johnson's maiden name is Taylor the same name as Buffalo Bill's grandmother.
Third - Autographed Stacy cabinet card photo COL. W. F. CODY "BUFFALO BILL" inscribed: "Mrs. Paul Hayes (illegible) WF Cody"; Cody is dressed in an embroidered rawhide jacket ; loss to both sides, most to bottom edges.
Fourth - Scarce autographed 1879 first edition autobiography: THE LIFE OF HON. WILLIAM F. CODY / KNOWN AS BUFFALO BILL / THE FAMOUS HUNTER, SCOUT AND GUIDE / COPYRIGHT 1879, by F.E. BLISS. Inscribed and signed inside cover page: "To E.D. Johnson, Jr. From W.F. Cody Buffalo Bill Feb 19th, 1880". Bumped corners, separated spine and back cover, separations to pages, some edge chipping and some loose pages.
Fifth - Circa 1850 ambrotype of (we believe to be) image of William F. Cody at approximately 4 years of age. refer to image of Buffalo Bill at 11 years of age buffalobill org (The Buffalo Bill Museum site) for resemblance/comparison. We did a side by side in the photos. Separated binding, loose in the case and wear to the case.
Sixth - A deposit envelope containing crumbled, dried leaves from Norristown, Pennsylvania with a pencil inscription on the back: "Taken from Buffalo Bills 'tomb on Lookout -Mt,- (1929)". ***This is probably the most important item in the collection to us in that the envelope with dried leaves and the "NORRISTOWN, PENNA" address along with the penciled inscription dated 1939 on the back cements the fact that these items did indeed come from the West Chester area and that the previous owner did visit Buffalo Bill's Grave on Lookout Mountain in Colorado. ***This envelope helps tie the whole package together, makes the family connection both credible and personal. It places the collection both geographically and sentimentally. (The inscribed 1939 envelope explains how an item as personal as an ambrotype of him as a child, an unknown colored glass image, important personal items including the shaving kit and pipes would be together and remain together.). Well creased and folded and the foliage inside is now basically spice ground.
Seventh - A high quality nineteenth century rosewood & brass gentleman's traveling toiletry/ grooming/ shaving set with a fitted interior to include glass jars with
hallmarked English sterling lids; numerous combs, rosewood brushes and bone handle straight razors (*******stamped: A. KLEIN 6 BOULVIDES CAPUClNES PARIS. and SHEFFIELD). We believe this to be Buffalo Bill's personal shaving kit and in turn believe we have enough evidence to support the connection, which would make this set one of the most significant and interesting personal items extant to come to market. Refer to Heritage catalog description Lot 44094 of Bufialo Bill's Remington New Model Army .44 percussion revolver in regards to Buffalo Bill being, ”. . . notoriously unsentimental about his possessions . . . he even gave
away his Medal Of Honor to his cousins in PennsyIvania". Standing alone this rosewood case is no more than a beautiful, high quality man’s traveling shaving kit but taken into context with the other items in the collection we feel confident that this is indeed Buffalo Bill's personal traveling shaving kit: Although very intricate with jars, brushes, razors this set is very compact and the size that would fit in the saddlebag of a horse for a man who constantly traveled. Buffalo Bill travelled to England and France where this kit may very well have been acquired or given to him. There is wear to the case and all the contents, some chipping to the casings on the razors, some loss to the velvet backing and the letter holder and desk writing area are both loose in the top.
Eighth - Late nineteenth century small meerschaum pipe with a carved dog. Buffalo Bill was known to own and love dogs. Refer back to Heritage Catalog Lot
44094 of the sale of his percussion revolver and part (2) of the lot where he speaks of his dogs at his ranch in a letter : “.....my beautiful dogs. I would rather
Iose every horse up there than my dogs”. Wear to the case, browning to the meerschaum and teeth marks. (Cool - teeth marks!!)
We know that he visited his maternal family, the Guss family (uncle, cousins and grandmother) in West Chester for the first time in 1872 (page 312 of the included 1879 autobiography) ; and that two years later “....as Buffalo Bill pursued his stage career, the Cody family lived for several months near West Chester before moving on temporarily to Rochester, New York.
Probably most importantly that for almost two decades beginning in 1894 after the wildly successful Chicago World's Fair Cody used the Trego Farm in Chester County, PA to house the draft horses, buffalo and livestock of his Wild West Show.
All that is included - GOOD LUCK TO ONE AND ALL!!
PLEASE NOTE: WHILE WE RESEARCHED THIS EXTENSIVELY, WE ARE NOT BUFFALO BILL CODY EXPERTS. PLEASE DO YOUR OWN DUE DILIGENCE IN DETERMINING WHAT THESE ITEMS ARE PRIOR TO BIDDING.
Estimated shipping weight, (packaged) is 15 lbs 8 oz in a 18 x 16 x 10 box.
The eBay Calculator is not always right - if the shipping looks too high email us and we will give you an accurate quote prior to the auction ending.
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What a great find!
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